Album Name: Heartbreak Criminals
Artist: Nasty
Released: September 2023
Label: Century Media Records
Rating: 7.5/10
Tracklist
Intro
Roses
Reality Check
911
Total Domination
Heartbreak Criminals
Resurrection
More Fire
Nobody Cares
Don't Play With Fire
Kiss From a Rose
Declaring War
Chaos
Belgian/German hardcore outfit Nasty are continuing to hold the flag of "f*cked up music for a f*cked up world" while releasing their ninth album 'Heartbreak Criminals' on the 8th of September.
Nasty originally made their hardcore start under the name Van Damme in 2004, then in 2008 they released their first album 'Agression' under Nasty. These guys have already established themselves as one of Europe's hardest hitting hardcore groups with their extensive touring and festival appearances. Nasty are now just a few days away from releasing their ninth album 'Heartbreak Criminals' via Century Media Records.
Nasty's album 'Heartbreak Criminals' shows off how the band have grown since their last release in 2020, 'Menace'. With some hard-hitting new tracks and they have even re-recorded a couple of old fan favourites. Opening 'Heartbreak Criminals' is an intense intro that lets you know that something big is coming. This isn't a gentle welcome but rather something that'll make you feel a little uneasy yet excited. When it comes crashing in before throwing you into second track 'Roses' you are prepared for the heavy attack of the vocals. 'Roses' is a personal favourite of mine and is the song that got me into Nasty. This one is heavy and has this "f*ck you" attitude. I found that a lot of the songs on 'Heartbreak Criminals' kind of blend into one another. They're all good but not all of them stand out. One that does stand out however is most recent single, title track 'Heartbreak Criminals'. This foot-stomping track has a sort of early Motionless In White type sound to it, almost feeling a little more theatrical rather than just the raw heaviness of a lot of the other tracks on this album. I love the way this one drops down in the chorus almost creating a chant of the word "Criminals". With 'Heartbreak Criminals' we're even treated to some clean vocals towards the end as they take over that "Criminals" chant. Another one I quite liked was 'Resurrection' particularly because of the way it violently rises and falls. Another cool little track is 'Nobody Cares' which is only a minute long but I could imagine people chanting and foot-stomping this at a show. A song that was really interesting on 'Heartbreak Criminals' is 'Kiss From a Rose'. This unexpected track is definitely a favourite of mine. Feeling a bit hard rock infused and being a little more modern alt metal than the pure hardcore that Nasty have delivered for the rest of the album, 'Kiss From a Rose' is a standout. Nasty show off their versatility as the song dives into a bright guitar solo rather than the standard breakdown. This song even still has some harsh gritty vocals. It's not like they've just done a hard rock song, they've combined it with their own sound and I love it. Closing the album is 'Declaring War' and 'Chaos' which are the two re-recorded treats. Both songs are originally off of 2006's 'Declaring War' and allow the listener to hear the growth that Nasty have had and connecting their past to now. For me, I thought these were very similar to the other tracks on 'Heartbreak Criminals' giving off that raw hardcore energy but I can see how for people who have been fans of Nasty for a while now this would be really cool. I did also really like the demonic sounding growls in 'Declaring War'. Overall, I think that 'Heartbreak Criminals' is a very good hardcore album. Nasty have definitely gained a fan in me. I may have found a lot the songs on this album were quite similar but there were a few moments where Nasty did show off a bit of versatility. I also think if you've got a sound that's working why change it? There's not a song on 'Heartbreak Criminals' that I didn't like just some that I loved more. If you're a fan of raw and even emotional at times hardcore music, then 'Heartbreak Criminals' is worth listening to when it is released on the 8th of September.
Nasty are
Matthias "Matthi" Tarnath: Vocals Patrick "Paddy" Gajdzik: Guitar Berislaw "Berry" Audenaerd: Bass Christian "Nash" Fritz: Drums
Nasty online
